Seat 3A
by lilkawa
Summary: What if Darcy had explained to Elizabeth in person instead of writing a letter? What could have happened.


_Pride and Prejudice_ doesn't belong to me.

Thanks Miriam1, for all your help.

Seat 3A

"_All passengers on Flight KL 493, to London, please proceed to gate 42 for boarding."_

'Finally,' Elizabeth thought to herself; she had been at Schiphol for three hours. She couldn't wait to get home.

She followed her fellow passengers to the gate and got onto the aeroplane. Finally, her excessive use of KLM was paying off; she'd been upgraded to first class. The seats were bigger and softer than those in economy class and she had more room; unfortunately, she would only get to enjoy this comfort for a short time. According to her ticket, they would be arriving in London in a little over two hours. On the other hand, she couldn't wait to get home; it had been a crazy two months.

Fitzwilliam Darcy had proposed to her. Even now, almost a month later, she couldn't believe it. He had actually asked her to marry him. As if, that man had broken Jane's heart. Even now, Jane was not over Charlie and it was all Darcy's fault. As for his treatment of poor George Wickham, having him fired for talking to his sister. Who did he think he was? She had told him all this while she was rejecting him but even now, thinking of his smug proposal, she was beneath him and all made her blood boil.

Why was she even thinking about him?

00000

Darcy walked quickly onto the plane. He was late and had almost missed his flight. He had to get home for a meeting and then in two days he was off to the States.

'After I return from the States, I need a holiday,' he thought to himself. He would go to Oxford and rest for at least two months. Thinking of resting reminded of the last holiday he'd had, when he had been summoned to see his Aunt Catherine in Kent. She was on the board of the company and liked to summon him. If he had known that Elizabeth Bennet was visiting at the time, he would never have gone. Who was he kidding, he would have gone anyway.

Somehow Elizabeth Bennet had gotten under his skin; for the first time in his life, he had considered marriage. He must have been mad; after all he'd seen and heard of that institution, he should have been keeping well away. But Elizabeth, she was someone special; she was the most bewitching female he had ever met. She had a wicked sense of humour, she was beautiful and she had guts. If only she could love him, his life would be complete.

Even now, after her rejection of him, he thought of her with love. He could admit it to himself, he loved her. With all of his heart, but he was realistic enough to know that after the way she had turned him down, she would never see him in any light other than the man who had broken up Jane and Charlie and who cost Wickham his future.

'Maybe I should have explained,' he thought to himself, 'told her my reasons.' But he'd been too angry at her accusations and then an emergency had come up and he had to leave Kent that evening.

'You could have sent an email, even called her.'

He'd thought of all that but in the end decided to leave her alone and try and move on with his life.

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Darcy hurried into first class, and saw that the cabin was full. He had a window seat, like he always did and could see that his neighbour was already seated. He found an empty overhead compartment and stowed his carryon and made his way to his seat.

"Excuse me," he told the woman in 3B.

Elizabeth was looking through her bag when she heard a voice; it sounded familiar, but she thought to herself that that was just wishful thinking. She looked up, with a smile, at the person who would be a neighbour for the next two hours or soon.

It was hard to say who was more shocked: Elizabeth or Darcy.

Darcy couldn't believe it. Elizabeth was on the plane with him, his neighbour no less.

Elizabeth's smile froze in place. She stood up to let him pass, wondering if she could get the air hostess to get her another seat, she quickly dismissed the thought.

'Why should I be the one to move?' she told herself as she sat down, 'if he doesn't want to sit next to me, let him find another seat.'

Darcy had been shocked to see Elizabeth but finding a new seat never crossed his mind. 'Maybe this is a sign,' he thought to himself, 'another chance to work it out.' Darcy was a great believer in signs.

00000

They sat in silence for about thirty minutes and then Darcy decided to take a chance. She had already rejected him, and it wasn't as if he wanted to propose to her again, he just wanted to explain; the worst that she could do was to refuse to listen. But he would have tried, at least.

He was going through opening statements in his head. He had never this nervous in his life, not even when he had been making presentations to new clients. 'Maybe I should just say hello, no, just start explaining, or maybe tell a joke.' He took a sip from his drink as he collected his thoughts. 'Think,' he told himself, 'think.'

He was so lost in his head that he almost didn't hear Elizabeth speak to him.

"What?" he asked her.

"So, did the whole factory burn down, or were you able to save some of it?" Elizabeth repeated. She didn't know why she was speaking to him; she had told herself that she would never speak to him again.

Darcy couldn't believe it. She was speaking to him, of her own will. She had begun the conversation. He was so happy, he didn't answer for a while.

'Serves, you right,' Elizabeth thought to herself, when she received no reply. 'Why would he want to speak to you?'

"Yes," Darcy replied. "We were able to save most of it. Who told you?" he asked her.

"When we dined with your aunt that evening, she told us that there had been a fire at one of your factories." She explained to him.

She had asked about him, Darcy thought to himself, knowing his aunt would never have volunteered that information without being asked, what did that mean?

"So, how have you been?" he asked.

"Fine."

He nodded.

Elizabeth got a pen and a puzzle book from her bag.

"Elizabeth."

She looked at him.

"I'm sorry." He said.

She continued looking at him, waiting.

"About Charlie and Jane."

"For causing them to break up, you mean?"

"Charlie is always falling in love and your sister didn't seem as though she really was into him, she tolerated his attentions but it was as though she wasn't really… into him." He concluded lamely.

"Well, you don't know my sister that well," Elizabeth told him. "She's reserved. But you were right; my mother may have been a tad pushy. It's crazy but she really wants grandchildren and we're taking our time, or so she says."

"Welcome to the club."

They laughed.

"I did have George Wickham fired."

Elizabeth looked at him, he waited, but she didn't say anything.

"He was harassing the younger female employees. My father was his godfather, so he used that position to force the girls to have relationships with him; anyway, my sister Georgie found out, she was an intern at the company and told me about it. We investigated and found out that he was stealing some money as well and he was let go, with a generous package."

Elizabeth couldn't believe it. The way Wickham had told it was that Darcy found him with his sister and fired him just for daring to talk to her.

"I can't believe he would make up stories like that." Elizabeth said. "He said you made your sister abort his child."

Darcy nodded; he'd heard that version as well.

'Luckily, Georgie had the good sense to keep away from him but some of the other girls weren't as lucky. In fact, I hear that he has at least three children that he's not even taking care of."

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth said.

"What for?"

"For believing him, for not taking to trouble to find out the truth before accusing you."

"You're sorry…" he began.

"And I'm sorry," she finished.

"We're both sorry." They said together.

They looked at each other and laughed.

"_This is your Captain speaking; we shall begin making our descent shortly. We should touchdown at Heathrow Airport in about thirty minutes_."

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Darcy and Elizabeth got off the plane together and he offered her a lift in his car.

"Thank you, but no," she told him, smiling. "It's really out of your way."

Darcy looked at her, they had sorted things out but it didn't mean that they would be friends. Did it?

He looked at his watch, he was really running late.

"Elizabeth, I am late for a meeting and I leave in two days for the States…" He paused.

"Yes." She told him.

"What?"

"We'll make plans when you return; have a safe trip." Elizabeth got into a taxi.

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Elizabeth's phone vibrated.

_See you soon_.

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End file.
